


Campfire Song (Reprise)

by bernard_greybridge



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief - Rokicki/Tracz
Genre: Based on the musical, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friends as Family, Friendship, Gen, Pre-The Heroes of Olympus, Set right after the Battle of Manhattan, Song fic, also i still think the gods are bad parents, btw if you’re not into percabeth, guys please listen to the lightning thief soundtrack, it’s only implied here and can be read as platonic, it’s so underrated, the main focus is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27838084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bernard_greybridge/pseuds/bernard_greybridge
Summary: To welcome the new campers, some of the cabin heads sing during the campfire to introduce themselves.And as his friends sing about their parents, Percy reflects on how much they’ve grown.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Camp Half-Blood Campers & Percy Jackson, Clarisse La Rue/Chris Rodriguez, Percy Jackson & Everyone
Comments: 3
Kudos: 60





	Campfire Song (Reprise)

**Author's Note:**

> I STILL NEED TO WRITE AN ENTIRE 1/3RD OF MY THESIS + EDIT EVERYTHING, AND IT IS DUE IN FIVE DAYS AHHHHHHHHHH

Percy and Annabeth were snuggled next to each other in the amphitheater, and Grover, Rachel, Tyson, and Juniper were squeezed in next to them. Chiron and Mr. D were helping the new undetermined campers find seats, Clarisse was trying to secretly cuddle with Chris, Thalia was trying to keep the Hunters of Artemis from starting another demigod war, Nico sat next to a girl Percy was pretty sure was Hestia in disguise, and Travis and Connor were setting up microphones with Will.

Ever since the Battle of Manhattan and Percy made the gods swear to claim their children, new kids had been stumbling into camp in waves. Thalia had convinced the Hunters to stay in camp for a bit to help with the adjustment, mostly in the guise of looking for new recruits. And Percy had managed to convince Nico to not run off back to the Underworld, too.

“Hey, guys!” Travis greeted the audience. “So, an old tradition the Hermes Cabin used to have when new campers arrived was that some of the cabin heads would sing during the campfire to introduce themselves.”

“Sadly, the person who started the tradition left camp some years ago, so we stopped.” Connor chose his words carefully, a hint of sorrow in his tone. Annabeth’s hold on Percy tightened. “But since there are so many of you guys now, we decided to restart it, and this time with a twist! The cabin heads singing have been randomly selected, so they’ll be completely unprepared.”

“I wonder who the unlucky cabin heads will be.” Percy laughed, jabbing at Annabeth’s side. The blonde simply rolled her eyes.

“I’ve already done it, so I’m out. Thank the gods.” Annabeth sighed.

“For those of you who know the chorus, sing along!” Travis cheered.

“Will, start us off!” Connor gestured to the Apollo cabin head.

Will nodded and started strumming on his guitar. The blond and the Hermes cabin heads then started to sing the intro, and Percy, Annabeth, and Grover all started to sing along to the familiar tune.

“Oh things couldn’t be worse,  
When your parents run the universe.  
Oh things couldn’t be worse,  
When your folks run the universe.”

“And starting us off, is...” Travis pulled a piece of paper out of a hat. “...the head of the Ares cabin, Clarisse!”

“No way, pipsqueak,” Clarisse snarled.

“Come on, Clarisse,” Chris urged her lightly. “You were there the first time Luke started it right? When he welcomed Silena and Beckendorf?”

Clarisse seethed at her boyfriend for a moment before groaning in resignation. She cleared her throat and nodded at Will to start the tune of the verse. Travis passed on to her a microphone. Percy couldn’t help but smile. Clarisse had grown so much since he had known her. While their friendship had gotten off to a rocky start, ever since their alliance against Polyphemus, Percy could see the fiercely loyal spirit underneath the snappy meathead exterior. And it was when Clarisse asked for his help on her quest for her father that their friendship was cemented.

Then, Clarisse started to sing.

“My dad is Ares,  
The god of war.  
I just want to please him,  
But it's such a chore.  
He tells me to train,  
And then to train some more.

Oh no. (Oh no.)

No matter what I do,  
It's never enough.  
So I keep on training,  
And keep acting tough.”

“Really strong start.” Connor laughed, pulling another name out of the hat. “Next up is...the head of the Zeus cabin and the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, Thalia!”

“Stolls, if this is another one of your pranks, I swear to the gods that I will fry you!” Thalia hissed. “It just seems unfair, since I’m the only child of Zeus. I mean, I’m not even a cabin head, since I’m technically not a camper!”

“You can do it, Thalia!” Annabeth goaded from across the campfire, alongside Percy’s own cheers. Grover bleated at her encouragingly, too. And the rest of the Hunters were jeering at her, as well.

As Thalia rolled her eyes and rose from her seat while Connor gave her a microphone, Percy’s chest swelled with pride. Annabeth was right in saying that Thalia and he were a lot alike. Their dynamic had always been tense, perhaps due to their parentage. But there had always been respect there, too. And ever since they worked together on their quest to save Annabeth, they were more open to showing that respect. And after their quest for Persephone, their respect for one another had only grown.

Then, Thalia started to sing.

“Well my dad is Zeus,  
Almighty king of Olympus.  
He hits on people,  
Like the hammer of Hephaestus.  
He's had hundreds of kids,  
And his wife hates all of us.

Oh no. (Oh no.)

I had to die,  
For him to notice me.  
Then spent seven years,  
As a dam pine tree.”

Will, Travis, and Connor then sang the chorus once more, and Percy and the others felt themselves singing along, too.

“Oh things couldn’t be worse,  
When your parents run the universe.  
Oh things couldn’t be worse,  
When your folks run the universe.”

“Alright, two more rounds.” Travis announced. “And second to last will be...the head of the Hades cabin, Nico!”

“Absolutely not.” Nico shook his head vehemently. “How can I be the cabin head when Hades doesn’t even have a proper cabin yet?”

“You got this, Nico!” Percy called out. The younger boy swiveled back to glower at him, a prominent blush on his face.

Nico coughed awkwardly, face still flushed, as he accepted the microphone from Travis. Percy couldn’t stop the grin that split his face. While the other boy had changed drastically over the years, he had recently started getting in touch with his inner child once more. Nico had gone through so much loss after the death of his sister Bianca, and he had been forced to grow up too fast. But deep within, he was just a kid who wanted people to like him. And without him advising Percy to bathe in the River Styx to receive the Curse of Achilles, they would have never won the war.

Then, Nico started to sing.

“My dad is Hades,  
God of the dead.  
Just thinking of him,  
Fills me with dread.  
He thinks that love,  
Is better left unsaid.

Oh no. (Oh no.)

I try to make him proud,  
Or play a game of cards.  
But he's always busy,  
So my heart's in shards.”

“Alright, last but not least...” Connor paused for dramatic effect as he pulled out the final name from the hat. “...the head of the Poseidon cabin, Percy!”

“Oh come on!” Percy groaned. “This thing is rigged!”

“Do it, Prissy!” Clarisse smirked playfully. Chris next to her was laughing as she egged him on.

“If I had to do it, then so do you, Kelp Head!” Thalia warned.

“Just get on with it, Perce.” Nico rolled his eyes.

Grover, Rachel, Tyson, and Juniper were cheering him on, too. But when he turned to face his girlfriend, he knew he had lost.

“What are you waiting for, Seaweed Brain?” Annabeth teased.

Percy took a deep breath as he took the microphone from Connor’s awaiting hands. It was odd to think about. How in less than five years, his life had turned upside down. And now he had real friends that he would give up the world for. A family.

Then, Percy started to sing.

“My dad's Poseidon,  
God of the seas.  
He thinks parenting,  
Is such a breeze.  
He keeps reaching out,  
Begging on his knees.

Oh no. (Oh no.)

If he cares so much,  
Where has he been?  
Looks like he needs me,  
More than I, him.”

The last time Percy had sung this song, he had no idea who his father was. And when he eventually found out, he did everything he could to impress him. He went on dangerous quests and fought scary monsters, all for his father’s attention.

But now it was more than that. Now he had a new family he fought for.

So, Percy held onto the microphone and continued to sing into the outro.

“Oh things couldn’t be worse,  
When your parents run the universe.

Oh things couldn’t be worse.”

He kept his eyes on Annabeth as he sang the next lines.

“But I don’t care where our parents may be,  
As long as you are here with me.”

His family all joined in as he sang the last lines. Annabeth couldn’t tear her eyes away from him as she sang along, too.

“We don’t care where our parents may be,  
As long as you are here with me.

As long as you are here with me!”

**Author's Note:**

> Twitter: @berning_bridges https://twitter.com/berning_bridges  
> Tumblr: bern-the-bridge https://bern-the-bridge.tumblr.com  
> 


End file.
